In various applications there is a demand, e.g. in industry, for machines to hold workpieces in different positions in order to machine them. For this purpose there exists a so-called lifting table which ordinarily consists of a base with scissor-action adjustment links, imparting a raising and lowering movement to the table on which the workpiece is resting. This table, however, has a base which requires a comparatively large space and provides limited facilities for placing it in different positions.